Cap opener



July 10, 1928. I I 1,676,649

A. PODEL CAP OPENER Filed Nov. 17, 1925 .mmrrm' INVENTOR Mu ATTORNEY 1 laterited .luly 10, 1923.

u rrs STATES raises PATENT; OFFICE.

ABRAHAM PODEL, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, .ASSIGNOR 'IO ANCHOR CAP AND CLOSURE CORPORATION, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

on]? OPENER.

Application filed November 17,1925. Serial No. 69,565.

The present invention relates broadly to uncapping tools and more especially to a cap opener stamped from sheet metal and adapted particularly for opening caps provided with rubber gaskets, etc.

Cap openers have heretofore been constructed of sheet metal in the form of either flat members or flat sided members with marginal webs stamped around the edge of the opener. The end of a flat opener which rests on the top of the cap has a tendency to puncture the top of the cap particularly where the cap is of large size and relatively thin metal as is the common practice of today in connection with vacuum sealed caps. Where the cap is punctured, it is practically useless for temporarily rescaling while the contents of the package is being used up. Cap openers provided with flanges around the edge require expensive dies for manufacture and the wear on these dies is excessive, so that the manufacture of such openers becomes expensive. Furthermore, such openers take more metal than a flat opener and do. not lie flat when shipped, all of which adds to the ultimate cost.

The present opener combines the advantages of the prior known sheet metal types and at the same time obviates the disadvantages thereof. The opener comprising the present invention is in the main stamped from flat sheet metal and the fulcrum portion of the opener is widened in the'form of a. slight flange to provide a relatively wide surface to rest upon the cap top as one of the points of leverage. In the preferred form of the opener, the lip which engages the underneath of the cap is provided with a lateral projection adapted to bite into a rubber gasket or the like, such as is commonly used in hermetic seal caps, and under the edge of the cap so that there is no tendency of the opener to slip off the cap when the opener is in use.

Fig. 1 illustrates the preferred form of the opener in a perspective view and in dotted lines shows how such openers may be nested for shipment.

Fig. 2 illustrates the preferred form in a fragmentary view showing its cooperation with one common type of vacuum sealed caps.

I ig. 3 is a detailed view of the head of the opener.

. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another form of the opener showing a curved handle and omitting the gasket engaging lip.

F 1g. 5 illustrates the operation. opener when in use. 1

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the opener comprises a body portion 1 of flat sheet metal terminating in a fulcrum extension 2 which is provided with a curved fulcrum shoe adapted to rest upon the top of a cap A, (illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 in dotted lines). A cap engaging hook 5 is disposed beneath and laterally off-set from the shoe 4 with a recess 6 provided between the cap I engaging hook 5 and the fulcrum extens1on 2. In the preferred form a gasket engagin lip 7 extends laterally frdm the cap engaging hook 5 in such manner as to tend to bite into a gasket B, (illustrated in dotted lines in Flg. 2), so that there is no tendency of the hook to pull out from under the cap, and furthermore, the construction provides a wide face for the cap' skirt engaging hook so that there is less tendency for this member to disrupt and cut the side or skirtof the cap A.

The opener illustrated inFigs. 4 and 5 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 with the exception that the gasket engaging lip is omittedL In Fig. 5, an end view of the opener is illustrated as being grasped in the right handof a user. The normal tendency of the user in applying an opener of this kind is to twist the opener slightly clock-wise as indicated by the arrow X in Fig. 2. This twistingmotion brings into operation the shoe 4 which prevents the ful of the crum portion of the opener from puncturing the top of the cap A, at the same time, this I rolling action of the hand causes the lip 7 to firmly engage beneath the skirt of the cap so that the device is very effective to remove caps of this character.

It will be observed that since the major portion of the opener is flat, that such openers may be stacked one upon the other with their flanges 4 and extending lips 7, adjacent one another as indicated by dotted lines in F ig. 1, thereby facilitating the packaging of the openers for shipping purposes.

Having thus described What I claim is:

1. A cap opener comprising a substantially fiat body portion provided With an integral forwardly extending fulcrum portion, a curved fulcrum shoe on the lower part of the fulcrum portion, a cap engaging hook disposed beneath said fulcrum portion, and a projecting-lip on the end of said hook, said shoe and said lip both extending laterally on the same side ofsaid body portion. 2A cap opener formed from a single piece-of sheet material and comprising a substantially flat body portion provided with an integral forwardly extending fulcrum portion, a curved fulcrum shoe on the lower part of the fulcrum portion and extending laterally therefrom, a substantially flat cap engaging hook member disposed beneath said fulcrum portion, and a laterally promy invention,

jecting lip formed by bending the end of said hook.

3. A cap opener comprising a substanopener having a substantially flat body portion adapted to be edgewise disposed when applied to a cap, a fulcrum member at one end of said body portion, adapted to rest on a substantially flat cap, and a cap engaging hook n'iember, beneath said fulcrum, the end of said hook being bent to form a laterally extending lip for engaging a cap;

ABRAHAM PODEL. 

